Saturday 11 August 2018

Review (and event photos): Wilde About The Girl by Louise Pentland


Robin Wilde is acing life. 
After the year from hell, she's pulled herself up and out of The Emptiness, her love life is ticking along nicely, single motherhood is actually quite fun and she is ready for whatever life throws at her. When a thrilling opportunity at work arises, Robin is more than excited to step up and show everyone, including herself, what she's made of. 

But her best friend Lacey is increasingly broken-hearted about struggling to conceive, and her daughter Lyla is starting to come out with some horrible attitudes she's learning from someone at school. Is Auntie Kath hiding loneliness under her bubbly, loving veneer? And can Robin definitely trust the people she must depend on in her fab new role?

But Robin has her girls. And her girls have got her. Together they can handle any crisis. Can't they?

Life is about to throw quite the curve ball at Robin Wilde, and she'll need to make some pretty brave choices if she's going to stop everything she cares about falling apart . . . 



Review: I listened to this novel on audiobook and was pleased to discover that the notes from the author at the front of the book was actually read to me by Louise, it made it feel like a much more personal reading experience because she read that part herself and the narrator did a great job as well so my audiobook experience was a really positive one. 

It was great to be back in Robin's world again and of course its not long before things in that world start to go tit-up again and we would expect if we've read book one! I love the way Robin decides how to handle a crisis and the talks that she gives to herself before she goes and deals with something difficult or tries something new. This is one of the things I loved about her character in the first book and so I am glad to see she hasn't given this up in the time between the two novels. This is really what makes her such a like able character, she is just like you and me. She doesn't always relish trying new things and has to psyche herself up to stepping out of her comfort zone, she is a procrastinator and so she is just so easy to relate to. 

Of course we have plenty of mum action in this book too. One of the great things about the last book was that it shone a light on what feeling like a bad mum can do to you and the importance of having a support network and also being honest with other mums. We still have the posh school mums around in this novel as well as plenty of new things for Robin as a mum to deal with including some deeper subjects that Lyla has questions about. 

Speaking of deeper things, this book does get into some quite serious issues surrounding grief and things connected with grief and I thought it was handled really well. I was pleased to see Robin dealing with these things head on and having her as a vehicle for talking about these darker issues was great because it definitely softened the blow for the reader. Of course there is some romance in this novel, I'm sure Louise wouldn't want Robin to be without romance and I really enjoyed watching our main characters priorities in that area grow and change as the novel went on. There's also that great body positive message running throughout the novel just like in Wilde Like Me so we can all cheer about that!

There are some seriously funny moments. I laughed out loud, which is always even more hilarious when you're laughing at what's coming out your headphones, and these balance out the more serious things that Robin is being forced to deal with really well. I so enjoyed this novel, I read it in one sitting basically, and I would really recommend adding it to your summer TBR. Make sure you read Wilde Like Me first though so there are no spoilers, get the audiobook, it was great!

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Guest Reviewer Linda, AKA my mum, went to a signing with the author in Sheffield and was kind enough to get me a signed copy of the book, so now I have the audiobook and a signed hardback edition of Wilde About the Girl to go with my audiobook and paperback edition of Wilde Like Me. I'm so excited about having the physical book in my hands! Here's some snaps of the even for you...





We also made a video review of Wilde Like Me, which we listened to together so take a look at that if you haven't already done so!



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